BERLIN: Angelique Kerber says she has learnt the lessons from her Australian Open triumph as she prepares for the French Open at Roland Garros next month.
The world number three defended her title at Stuttgart's WTA clay-court indoor tournament with a straight sets win over qualifier Laura Siegemund in Sunday's final.
It was her first title since January when she claimed her first Grand Slam win by beating Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the Australian Open final.
The 28-year-old struggled after winning in Melbourne, crashing out early at both the WTA tournaments in Doha and Indian Wells, before losing in the semi-finals at both Miami, on hard court, and Charleston, on clay.
Victory in Stuttgart has boosted her confidence and she is relishing her forthcoming clay-court tournaments in Madrid (from April 30) and Rome (from May 9) as she prepares for Roland Garros.
"I know I can play well on clay. This is the attitude I'll take to Paris," said Kerber.
The German says she does not want to put herself under any pressure by making any predictions for the French Open having lost in the third round last year.
"I don't want to become results-orientated, because I know that can go wrong," she said.
Having become Germany's first Grand Slam winner since Steffi Graf won Roland Garros in 1999, Kerber said she initially struggled to manage her time as she was bombarded with requests for interviews and appearances.
"I think I now know what to expect off the court -- and how to manage it. It'll only be more in the future, not less," she said.
Kerber said she was taken aback by how "everyone wanted a piece of Angie" after her win down under and has learnt to switch off whenever she has the opportunity.
"I will always take my little bit of head space, which I need for myself," said Kerber.
"I am still the person who I was and that is the most important thing for me."
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